Poilievre will use notwithstanding clause to pass law on consecutive murder sentences

MONTREAL — Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is promising to use the notwithstanding clause to implement part of his tough-on-crime agenda, if his party is elected.

Poilievre says the Conservatives will give judges the power to sentence people who’ve been convicted of multiple murders to consecutive life sentences, with parole ineligibility beyond 25 years.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled in 2022 that imposing consecutive life sentences violates an offender’s Charter rights.

To get around that, Poilievre says he will use the notwithstanding clause, which allows the government to override Charter rights for a limited time.

No federal government has ever used the notwithstanding clause to pass a law.

Constitutional experts have warned that several of the Conservatives’ proposed criminal justice reforms would violate the Charter, including the pledge to impose mandatory life sentences for people convicted of fentanyl trafficking or gun smuggling.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 14, 2025.

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press